The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) overspent against its central administration budget by £15m last year, after setting aside a higher-than-expected figure for future redundancy payments.

Finance officials put aside £13m more than anticipated in 2010/11 so they could cover the future cost of redundancies. The figures were revealed in the DCLG's annual report and accounts for 2010/11, published on 18 July.